Inwardness

Osho, how can children be made inward-looking?

And secondly, never try—by pressure, by insistence—to lead a child toward any “good” direction. That very thing will become the biggest wall against going in a good direction. It may happen that while he is small he obeys you—because he is weak and you are strong; you can frighten him, threaten him, even do violence to him. And never imagine that parents cannot be violent with their children! Parents have committed such immeasurable violence against children. It simply doesn’t look like violence. Whenever we press someone down, we are being violent. The child’s ego is wounded. But being weak, he bears it. Today or tomorrow, when he grows up and power comes to his hands, by then you will be old and weak—and he will take revenge. The mistreatment of elderly parents by their children has its cause in the parents themselves. What they did to the child in his…

Osho, Sahjobai’s path is love, devotion, surrender, and worship of the guru. Then why does she begin to emphasize inwardness, the inner journey, and dispassion?

The guru is outside. But the outer guru is merely a ladder leading to the inner guru. When you lay yourself completely at the feet of the outer guru, open your eyes and you will find that the outer guru has bid you farewell. It was your outward mode of seeing that made the guru appear outside. Suddenly you find this music is resounding within. This is no one outside—someone within is speaking. I have heard: a fakir came to a mosque. Perhaps he was a little late; people were already dispersing. He said, “Brothers, the congregation is breaking up so quickly. Why such haste? Pray more slowly, more gently.” One man said, “You don’t blame yourself for coming late, and you blame the congregation. The Prophet has completed the prayer.” This is a story from Muhammad’s time. “The Prophet has completed the prayer. Now what is there to do,…

Question: OSHO, HOW CAN WE TEACH CHILDREN TO BE MORAL AND RELIGIOUS? The Protestant booklet that I was just talking about also mentions one fact: that one thing has to be learned from Rajneesh and his sannyasins -- that why they feel so committed. why they feel so involved, so deeply in love. No Christian seems to be so deeply in love with Christ. Why are they so in love with their own Master? There must be some reason behind it that has to be explored. The reason is clear-cut: sannyas is not imposed upon you, you have chosen it. The same was the case with the disciples of Jesus, with the disciples of Buddha. But it happens only when the Master is alive; when the Master is gone... In fact, children should be allowed to choose their own Masters. Parents should not enforce their own ideology on their children.

[To a sannyasin, whose son had just been initiated into sannyas, Osho said that one should respect one's child, and that now her son was a sannyasin, she should regard him as a brother... A child is born to you, but he does not belong to you. Always remember that he has come through you. He has chosen you as a passage, but he has his own destiny. So giving him sannyas does not mean that you have to structure him. You are not to force anything on him. Sannyas is freedom, so give him freedom to be himself, and be alert not to impose anything. Love him as much as you can, but don't give your thoughts to him. When you meditate, just persuade him to be with you. Sometimes dance with him.